Apr 16, 2015, 1:04 AM

@crusader said:

Reno seems to be a good example of a fixed XP system not working to provoke much RP on the grid. I know on Reach, there were many people who only logged in to play with a couple other people, who on past games, I'd known to be much more active on the grid to hoover up votes.

Reno is a terrible example.

The players on Reno seemed to think that RP will just spring up and suck them in. It doesn't. My opinion of the players there, largely, is that they can't be assed up to start their own stories. It's part-laziness and part-apathy. It has nothing to do with the XP system.

Look at the Reach. Same thing: people are lazy and apathetic. Over there, it's due to the staff largesse and stagnation, despite the size of the player base; on Reno, it's due to the small player base, and minimal staff.

My point: you cannot with any certainty lay the blame on the XP system. How XP is delivered is usually of minimal concern. To make a game work, you need to be able to attract the right kind of players. Those players will gravitate to games where the activity, community, and rewards fit their vision of comfort.